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The poems "the seduction" and "cousin Kate" that I will explore both show how women are conveyed as objects to be taken advantage of by men. The poems also talk about pregnancies, how both women were used for sex and then were left pregnant with a broken heart. Both women had to cope with the pain that they had made a mistake and had been deceived by the opposite sex. In both poems the man has been revealed to be manipulative and dominant, taking advantage of the women's position.
For example in the poem "The Seduction" he gets the young female intoxicated (drunk) and then took advantage of the situation. The poet Eileen McAuley wrote the poem "Cousin Kate" and Christina Rosseti wrote "The Seduction". With this essay I will be showing how both poems are similar and also acknowledging the differences between them both. I will also like to convey my understanding, thoughts and feelings about these poems to the reader of this essay.
Both poems were set in separate times.
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The poems emphasise at different points throughout the poem that they were set in different time spans. The poem cousin Kate was shown to be in the times of the 19th century. Christina lived in the time of the Victorians. She was a young beautiful woman who was passionate about her work. Christina wasn't a stranger to love and love wasn't a stranger to her. Christina had a number of lovers, at one point Christina was engaged to who she thought would be her husband.
James Collinson was her hansom fianc� but in 1850 she broke up the engagement as a cause of religious beliefs; James had become a Roman catholic and Christina was a strong Christina. Christina is an amazing poet, her poetry is strong, personal, and passionate and also unforced and these are just a few of the things that make her such a great poet.
Eileen McAuley was born in the 20th century; she lived in times where the government wanted the Victorian values of family to return. These values were "hard work and self-reliance". The employment rate was decreasing and this caused prostitution, drunkenness and homelessness to increase. Aids also increased at a cause of the more sexual activities, which was unprotected. Teenage pregnancies became more frequent and the young pregnant females were also judged because of their situation.
The two poems try to convey the seriousness of the women's situation to us through different means.
"Full of fresh fruit diets - how did she feel betrayed?"
This is a poetic device in which both poets used effectively. Repetition of the F's in this case makes the words stand out and puts a certain bitter touch to that individual line. A similar occurrence happens in "Cousin Kate".
"Cling closer, closer yet:"
This is repetition of the C's. I feel that in this circumstance it has just as much effect with the means of repetition as "The seduction" does. The repetition in this line was put to good use, it's as if she adores this thing she's clinging to. It gives you the impression that she is talking about her son; saying he's something that's so valuable and no one else can take it away from her. So both poems use repetition in good ways but in a totally different prospective. The poem "The Seduction", it uses repetition to emphasise her anger her hate towards the person who betrayed her, tricked her. "Cousin Kate" uses repetition to reveal how precious her son is to her. She also seems likes she's passing a message across saying that by no means will her cousin Kate have what she has which is a child.
The mood and where the poems were based make a big difference to the effects they have on the reader. For example the poem "The Seduction" was set in urban Liverpool.
"He led her to the bricks of Birkenhead docks"
Throughout the poem it gives you a vision of a broken down town with filth, dirt and pollution everywhere, litter on the streets and run down dismantled houses. This doesn't relate to romance at all and that was a good technique by Eileen McAuley. The female in the poem had no romance with the young man she was involved with; the scene in were its set doesn't seem romantic in anyway so its fits satisfactorily.
"Cousin Kate" was based in the Victorian times. She lived as a maiden girl through out her life, the poem was written through her eyes. The young girl was fine with her perfect world were no one could harm her.
"To fill my heart with care?"
This also shows that she hadn't loved before, she was inexperienced until this lord came and shown her a new life. In this poem were its set doesn't make the same impact as "The Seduction". It emphasises more on the time in where it was set (Victorian times) then what story the poem tells.
This is a big difference with the poems. With "The Seduction" when the reader thinks of the scene in which it was set it helps you live in the young females life, it helps convey her pain and her vulnerability. "Cousin Kate" doesn't comment on the scenery in that greater detail making the reader concentrate on her repetitive life. In this case I prefer the Eileen McAuley's method, as it is more effective in a number of ways.
There were also other poetic devices that played a significant role in both poems. One of these devices was Similes. The Similes were used in both poems but in a different manner, even though they were both used in diverse ways they were used in captivating way.
"Far past the silver stream of traffic through the city"
Once again Eileen uses the poetic devices to help you see through the eyes of this young females. She uses the simile as a form of imagery, helping you to picture what it may have looked like. In this quotation she talks about a "silver stream of traffic". This gives you an image of a long line of traffic with large amounts of pollution, clouds of smoke spilling from every car visible
"He wore me like a silken knot"
Christina Rosseti uses similes to convey thoughts and feelings from the young maiden girl. With Christina Rosseti she uses the similes to give the reader more understanding of the situations through out the poem "cousin Kate". The quotation to me meant that until the great Lord had found her she was living a normal monotonous life. He used her as if she was a plaque, something that was attractive and was able to have. This allows the reader a great understanding of what the characters are like. It reveals what the great lord is like; manipulative, he gets what he wants. It also tells you about the cottage maiden and how she was easily exploited. "Cousin Kate" and "The Seduction" used their similes in a wise way showing things that may not have been seen without them.
"Stories from teenage magazines"
I think the Language in both poems help in showing the reader a rough estimate of the times the poems are based in. The languages between the two poems are unlike each other. The seduction is more modern English and is used today.
"Woes me for joy thereof"
Cousin Kate uses English that is rarely used in the modern world. It makes the poem enjoyable to read and also to stand out. It also helps state that the poem was based in the 19th century. The languages both poems use demonstrate the vast distinction in the two.
Both women ended up being pregnant, they both felt ashamed and didn't want to face what people would say about them out in the open.
"My fair haired son, my shame, my pride,"
The young cottage maiden looks upon her son with pride but also perceives him as her shame. The cottage maiden doesn't discard her child like the young women in "The Seduction" does. She loves her son even with the shame he carries with him.
"Better to starve yourself, like a sick, precious child
Than to walk through town with a belly huge and ripe."
This shows that she would rather die then miss out on her teenage life, she would rather disappear than to have everyone talking about her and how she was always the type. This also displays that the young lady in "The Seduction maybe younger seeing as she doesn't seem to be able to manage the situations she's going through. Also teenage magazines promising love, romance and the perfect man poisoned the young woman making her susceptible to men.
"...all the parties where you meet the boy next door
...walk hand in hand"
This is partly what deceived her and led to her getting pregnant. This is a significant differentiation between both poems. In "Cousin Kate" she didn't have anything to corrupt her mind akin to "The Seduction".
I took pleasure in reading such excellent poems as these. I believe that the poems were a morsel biased towards the males. This could be because the poets were both females and used personal experiences. I was intrigued by the way the poems were structured and how they were so similar yet extraordinarily diverse. Even though I have read both poems on a number of occasions when I read it yet again I perceive things that I didn't the previous times I read them.
I don't have a preference of the two poems. They both have good and bad points to them both. "Cousin Kate" is short and tells a good story, I enjoy reading it out and it has a certain taste to it. "Cousin Kate" has bitterness, jealousy, and anger that made the poem even more appealing. Although a countless amount of people might not be able to comprehend the meanings of some of the lines. "The seduction" has a more modern language involved. It is easier for people to understand yet still powerful. It has a substantial amount of imagery that I enjoyed. It related top modern day life and what still goes on theses days.
The poems "the seduction" and "cousin Kate". (2020, Jun 02). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/poems-seduction-cousin-kate-new-essay
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